For the purpose of this description, fine structures are defined as two-dimensional or three-dimensional extensions of the order of 0.1 to 100 .mu.m.
It is known to produce the aforementioned fine structures in liquid crystal layers by applying an electric field to suitably segmented electrodes. In the region exposed to the electric field, the orientation of the liquid crystal is changed relative to the surrounding field-free regions. This usually results in a change in the optical properties of the effected region, and is therefore the basis of the electro-optical display effects of liquid crystal cells.
It is also known to produce fine structures in liquid crystal cells which have formed in a field-free state. To this end, the wall orientation of the liquid-crystal molecules is brought about by oriented photopolymers. The molecules can be variously aligned to produce orientation patterns in the liquid crystal (see Swiss Patent Application 2244/91 and 2246/91 dated Jul. 26, 1991).
These orientation patterns can be used, for example, for producing liquid crystal cells containing patterns made up of regions having different preferred orientation, patterns of regions with and without preferred orientations, or patterns of regions of varying twist, i.e. patterns of TN and STN regions.